Razer offers freebies to gamers who descend into its coin mine

Generate made-up currency in exchange for a different made-up currency

Gamer hardware specialist Razer is asking customers to turn their graphics cards into cryptocurrency miners in exchange for rewards points.

The Razer SoftMiner app will use idle cycles on the customer's GPU to help generate cryptocurrency and, in the process, earn them Razer Silver points that can be turned in for anything from gift cards to game keys and Razer gaming hardware.

From the sound of things, Razer won't be pocketing the cryptocoins directly from the app, but rather taking a cash cut after passing them along. Razer is partnering with a company called Gamma that specializes in desktop cryptocurrency mining apps.

There are some caveats to the program. Razer notes that the app is currently in a beta that only supports 5,000 users per week. Also, the application will slow down when there is heavy traffic and will definitely impact your PC's performance.

"Razer SoftMiner uses a substantial amount of your GPU power to ensure you get the highest Razer Silver yield possible," Razer warns.

"Hence, when the application is running, your PC will likely run slower than its usual speed."

So, Razer users will be using their hardware to create a cryptocurrency, in exchange for a digital currency, which they will then spend instead of a real currency. Also, you get slower performance and a higher power bill in the process. ®